The Sexual Health Check, an accreditation system for online sexual health providers, has launched today – providing Australians greater confidence accessing sexual healthcare online.
Previously, there had been no consistent framework applied to online sexual health services to ensure safety, reliability, and the appropriateness of services being offered.
Launched by ASHM Health (formerly the Australian Society of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine) and endorsed by various State and Territory Government Departments of Health, the Sexual Health Check provides an easy way for consumers to assess the legitimacy of an online health provider.
ASHM Deputy CEO Jessica Michaels said that as demand for online sexual health services grows, it is essential people are able to easily find legitimate providers.
“As online sexual healthcare becomes more and more common, it’s vital that people can find services that they can trust to provide best practice care,” said Michaels.
“We’ve seen examples of services online that are recommending tests that aren’t required, or are charging unreasonably high costs – and we want to help make sure that people’s concerns about their sexual health aren’t being taken advantage of,” she said.
Services that apply to be listed on the Sexual Health Check are assessed across a range of factors, mainly focused on ensuring they are safe, reliable and follow Australian clinical guidelines.
The Sexual Health Check is launching with three accredited services, Hey Fella, Stigma Health and PrEP Health, which all operate under Hyphen Health, Australia’s largest digital-first sexual health provider.
Hyphen Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Leigh Barlow said the accreditation will help provide an added layer of legitimacy after more than a decade of providing sexual healthcare online.
“We’ve been operating online testing services since 2015, with the mission to break down the barriers preventing people from accessing sexual healthcare – whether that be stigma, inconvenience, cost or geography,” said Dr Barlow.
“We’ve always prioritised ensuring our practices are aligned with clinical best practice, and put patients first. It’s a privilege to be announced as the first accredited clinics and gives the confidence to our clients, so they know they’ll be provided the best possible care,” he said.
Find an online sexual health provider now by visiting sexualhealthcheck.ashm.org.au
